Gaming Peripherals to Slide 13% in '22 on Category 'Correction': Omdia

After solid growth during COVID 19-related shutdowns, gaming peripherals are expected to fall 13% this year, said a Wednesday Omdia report. Category sales rose 20% in 2020 “as consumers sought to improve their home entertainment options,” it said, but two years later, different trends have hit the category: a “correction” initiated by lockdowns and tightened consumer spending, said the research firm. Spending on gaming peripherals rose with the "huge increase in games content spend in 2020, as gamers sought to optimize their console and PC games playing with high-end accessories, while new consumers picked up a gaming habit and increased the total addressable market,” said analyst Dom Tait. Turtle Beach, Razer and Logitech were also “major beneficiaries.” Content spending is projected to fall this year by 4% “as consumers feel more able to delay the purchase of new peripherals than miss out on games themselves,” Tait said. The peripherals market is in a more positive position than pre-pandemic, he said, saying the $199 price for the recently announced DualSense Edge wireless controller for PlayStation shows manufacturer confidence in the high end of the market. Gamepads are the highest selling product in gaming peripherals this year, holding 45% share, Omdia said.